Shinsui's extensive oeuvre spans bijin-ga, landscapes, and genre subjects. Auction averages over 12 months reflect healthy collector demand across all subject types.
A woman relaxes in the specific posture of "cooling off"—perhaps fanning herself near an open window or garden, the heat of summer demanding a pause in activity and a deliberate attempt to find relief. Produced in June 1925, this print captures a fundamental summer experience in Japan before mechanical air conditioning, when the management of heat was both a practical concern and an aesthetic practice. Shinsui's treatment of the subject is characteristically attentive to the physical reality of his subject.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Cooling Off was created by Ito Shinsui (伊東深水) in June 1925.
Cooling Off was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (June 1925).
Cooling Off depicts figures, bijin-ga, and summer.
Cooling Off measures 33.3 × 22.5 cm (Oban format).
